Capacitor and method of



g- 1953 A. F. TORRISI ET AL 2,648,120

CAPACITOR AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE Filed July 14, 1951 Fig.1. /7

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, lo 70 VACUUM Inventors:

Alfred F. Tovrisi, Frederick W. Grahame,

ID W

Their Attorney.

Patented Aug. 11,1953

CAPACITOR AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE Alfred F. Torrisi and Frederick W. Grahame, Pittsfield, Mass, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application July 14, 1951, Serial No. 236,768

3 Claims.

This invention relates to electric condensers or capacitors and more particularly to a method of manufacturing a hermetically sealed electrolytic capacitor of the wound type with terminal leads of tantalum metal.

As is well known in the industry, the sealing of a capacitor body within a tight enclosure or case is essential so that air and moisture will not degrade the electrical properties of the capacitor while in service below its initial or original properties when first manufactured. However, the realization of an absolutely tight enclosure is complicated by the difiiculty experienced in obtaining a tight joint at the points where the terminal leads of the capacitor pass through the casing to the exterior thereof. Resilient bushings have been employed at these points but the cold flow properties of most resilient materials are such that the joint eventually leaks. To eliminate a joint between a capacitor case proper and end caps through which terminal leads pass and also to minimize or prevent corrosion, casings or enclosures of glass material have also been employed with the terminal leads fused to the glass. The use of this material has, however, presented a. problem in the case of capacitors intended for service conditions in connection with rockets, jet planes and other modern applications where capacitor units are commonly exposed to a temperature as low as minus 55 C.

and then, in a matter of seconds, subjected to a temperature as high as 200 C. or vice versa. Such widely varying and suddenly changing temperatures necessitate the employment of a thermal shock resistant grade of glass, preferably one having a coefiicient of linear expansion no greater than .0000036 per degree C. In contrast, the various metals which are desirable for use as condenser terminals or leads such as tantalum, columbium, zironium, aluminum and other desirable valve forming metals and to which the glass must be sealingly fused, all have a coefficient of expansion in excess of .000005 per degree C. Because of these differences in coefficient of expansion, attempts to seal such leads to the most readily available and desirable grades of thermal shock resistant glass have resulted in failure since, after having been sealed thereto, the metal leads contract upon cooling more rapidly than the glass thereby setting up strains which cause a mechanically weak joint which cracks and is not leak-proof. This defect is particularly serious in the case of an electrolytic type capacitor inasmuch as electrolyte loss by evaporation tends to appreciably decrease the life of such a unit. Otherwise, the employment of a casing or enclosure entirely of glass, particularly because of the absence of other joints, would be desirable, especially in the case of electrolytic type capacitors where corrosion is a problem provided the unit could be made hermetically sealed.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a novel method of constructing capacitors.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a novel method of hermetically sealing an electrolytic type capacitor having terminal leads of tantalum metal within a container consisting entirely of glass having a coefiicient of expansion substantially different from that of the tantalum leads.

The invention will be better understood from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanyinag drawing and the scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims. In the drawings, Figs. 1 through 6 inclusive illustrate successive steps in the method of constructing or manufacturing a capacitor in accordance with the invention. Fig. 6 also illustrates the completed capacitor in cross section.

Referring now more specifically to the details of the various figures, the numeral l0 identifies a capacitor body comprising alternate strips or foils of film forming metal such as tantalum and porous spacer material such as paper or glass fiber rolled into a compact roll as illustrated. In the case of tantalum foil, a, pair of wire terminal leads II and [2 of tantalum metal are electrically connected respectively to foils of opposite polarity and project or extend beyond opposite ends of the roll as shown. In accordance with the invention, the capacitor body I0 is hermetically sealed within a non-corrosive casing by first providing a conventional T-shaped tube I3 of the thermal shock resistant glass and having an inside diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the capacitor roll. Next, the open end of a sealed glass tube l4 having a bore slightly greater than the diameter of the wire leads and having a relatively heavy wall thickness compared to the wall thickness of the T-shaped tube, such as a capillary tube, or one presenting a relatively large mass of glass compared to the cross sectional mass of metal in the leads is fused at [5 to one end of the run of the T-shaped case or container I 3. The capacitor roll I0 is then inserted through the opposite end of the run l6 of the T-shaped tube and one of the leads II is pushed into the bore of the capillary tube It so that the capacitor body III will be off center with respect to the lateral branch ll of the T-shaped tube as illustrated by Fig. 2. Thereafter, the open end of another seal capillary tube I8, similar to capillary tube I4, is fused at I9 to the end l6 of the T-shaped tube. Capacitor roll may then be moved to the right and the lead l2 moved further into the bore of capillary tube l8, a distance approximately equal to the distance lead I l extends into the bore of tube [4 until the roll is approximately centered as shown in Fig. 3. Of course, if the spacer material between the foils is not paper but of some heat resistant material, such as fiber glass, there would be-no necessity of initially positioning the capacitor body off center within the case since there would be no danger of the heat, resulting from the fusing of capillary tube l8 to the end [6 of the T- shaped tube, damaging such heat resisting material. In fact, it will be apparent that the employment of such material would permit fusing of both capillary tubes to the T-shape tube subsequent to insertion of the capacitor body therein. Thereafter the tantalum leads are sealed or the glass is fused to the leads by application .of a source of heat such as a flame to .a portion of the capillary tubes adjacent the fused joints l5 and I9 respectively illustrated in Fig. 4. Prior .to this step, however, the lateral branch ll is connected to a source of vacuum and the container evacuated since tantalummetal tends to become highly oxidized when subjected to heat in .the presence of air in which event the tantalum leads would become brittle and thus be subject toquick breakage upon handling .in service. In other words, the glass is fused to the leads under vacuum conditions in the case of tantalum leads although it should be appreciated that this step may be undertaken in the absence of a vacuum or in the presence .of an inert atmosphere in the case of some other metals. Although most grades of glass conveniently available .and otherwisesuitable may have a different coefficient of expansion from that of the tantalum leads, the glass nevertheless will not pull away from the leads upon cooling or contracting because of the relatively large mass involved. Thus, we are able in the practice of this method to obtain a seal which is .as mechanically strong :and tight as is usually obtained in the case of fusing a glass to .a metal both of which have matching coefiicients of expansion. Subsequent to the sea-ling of the leads to the glass case, the portions of the capillary tubes I4 and I8 exterior the portions fused to the leads are scratched with a file and then broken oif so that leads H and 12 will project from opposite ends of the glass containers as illustrated in Fig. v5. In the case of an electrolytic capacitor, the glass container is next filled through the only remaining opening in lateral branch IT with an impregnating fluidor electrolyte after which the branch I! is flame sealed as illustrated in Fig. 6. This flame seal may or may not be done in vacuo.

Thus, we have provided a practical and an economical method whereby the terminal leads of a capacitor may be simply and tightly sealed to an enclosing casing of glass, the coeflicient of expansion of which may not match the coefficient of expansion of the metal of the leads.

While we have, in accordance with the patent statutes, shown and described a particular embodiment of our invention, it will be obvious that changes and modifications can be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects and we, therefore, aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifica- 4 tions as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims directed to a sealed condenser structure of the type described herein are in divisional application, Serial No. 274,322, filed March 1, 1952.

What we claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In the manufacture of a capacitor having alternate sheets of dielectric material and conducting foil wound into a roll with a pair of terminal lead wires extending respectively from opposite ends of said roll, the method of hermetically sealing said roll within a T-shaped tubular glass case having an inside diameter greater than the diameter of said roll which comprises the steps of fusing the open end of a sealed capillary tube to one end of the run of said T-shaped case, inserting said roll through the opposite end of said case and one of said leads into the bore of said capillary tube so that said roll will be off center with respect to the lateral branch of said T-shaped case, fusing the open end of a second sealed capillary tube to said opposite end of said T-shaped case, moving said roll to the center of said case so that the other of said leads will extend into the bore of said second capillary tube a distance equal to the extension of said one lead into the bore of said first mentioned capillary tube, applying a vacuum to the lateral branch opening of said T- :haped case, then applying heat respectively to the portions of said capillary tubes adjacent the fused joint therebetween and said T-shaped tube whereby said leads are respectively and sealingly fused to said capillary tube, respectively breakoil the remaining :portion of said capillary tubes exterior the portions fused to said leads, and then sealing off said lateral branch.

2. In the manufacture of a capacitor having alternate sheets .of dielectric material and conducting foil wound into a roll with a pair of terminal lead wires having a coefiicient of thermal expansion in excess of .000005 per degree C. extending respectively from opposite ends of said roll, the method of hermetically sealing said roll within a T-shaped tubular glass case having an inside diameter slightly greater than the diameter of said roll which comprises the steps .of fusing one end of a glass capillary tube having a coeflicient of thermal expansion less than .000'004 per degree C. to one end of the run of said T-shaped case, inserting said roll through the opposite end of said case and one of said leads into the bore of said capillary tube so that said roll will be off center with respect to the lateral branch of said T-shaped case, fusing one end of a second and similar glass capillary tube to said opposite end of said T-shaped-case, moving said roll to the center of said case so that the other of said leads will extend into the bore of said second capillary tube a distance equal to the extension of said one lead into the bore of said first mentioned capillary tube, then applying heat respectively to the portions of said capillary tubes adjacent the fused joint therebetween and said T-shaped tube whereby said leads are respectively and sealingly fused to said capillary tube, respectively breaking off the remaining portion of said capillary tubes exterior the portions fused to said'leads, filling said case through said lateral opening with an impregnating fluid, and then sealing off said lateral branch.

3. In the manufacture of a capacitor comprising a capacitor body proper and a .pair of terminal leaol wires having a coefficient of thermal expansion in excess of .000005 per degree C'., the method of hermetically sealing said body within an open ended tubular shaped glass case having an opening intermediate the opposite ends thereof which comprises the steps of fusing one end of a glass capillary tube having a coefficient of thermal expansion less than .000004 per degree C. to one end of said tubular case, inserting said body through the opposite end of said case and one of said leads into the bore of said capillary tube with the other of said leads extending exteriorly beyond said opposite end, inserting said other lead into the bore and fusing one end of a second and similar glass capillary tube to said opposite end of said case, then applying heat respectively to the portions of said capillary tubes adjacent the fused joints therebetween and said tubular case whereby said leads are respectively and sealingly fused to said capillary tubes, respectively breaking off the remaining portions of said capillary tubes exterior the portions fused to said leads and then sealing of]? said intermediate opening of said glass case.

ALFRED F. TORRISI. FREDERICK W. GRAHAMIE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Thomas Sept. 28, 1920 Shrader July 27, 1926 Bullivant Apr. 28, 1931 Means Nov. 17, 1931 Rodgers Apr. 2, 1935 Freeman Sept. 24, 1940 Taylor Feb. 6, 1945 Brennan Feb. 5, 1946 Burnham Apr. 18, 1950 Koerbis Oct. 2, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain July 28, 1938 Germany Nov. 5, 1942 

